That Texas Blood #11 Review

Posted on by Alan Taylor

(W) Chris Condon (A) Jacob Phillips

Time for our monthly mention of one of Image’s very best ongoing titles…

When it comes to noir comics (one of my favourite genres), atmosphere is everything. Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are the masters of this.  And Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips are fast becoming masters in their own right.  I mean, just look at the cover alone of this issue, dripping with atmosphere.

We are approaching the end of the second arc with issue 11, with Joe Bob and Eversaul locating and getting ready to confront the Cult of Night.  A thunderstorm rages; a couple of guys getting ready to do the right thing, when they should clearly wait for backup; a young girl in danger; a promise made by a man to a mother that he will save the child; a ticking clock.

All these tropes and staples are utilised, and because of how great the character work is, both from a writing and artistic viewpoint, we are invested.  We are genuinely fearing for these characters, and there may just not be a happy ending.

We’ve said it many times, but will happily say it again.  If you are not on this, you are missing out on one of the great modern comic runs.  Whatever these guys are working on, I’ll be picking it up day one every time.

 

Time Before Time #6 Review

Posted on by Alan Taylor

(W & A) Declan Shalvey

It was a shame we had to rearrange the Declan Shalvey signing.  It was for very understandable reasons and hopefully we can reschedule for January so we can tell him face to face just how good this issue was.

Time Before Time has been another great series from Image Comics so far, and now the first collected trade is available, which contains the first 5 issues.  With this one, Shalvey is taking the reins on art for one issue to tell a standalone story in this universe, which is a treat for us single issue readers given that this won’t appear in the trade collections.

This one-shot focuses on just how lucrative a business that time relocation has become, and the desperate lengths that some people will go to in order to escape their past and get that elusive fresh start.

The bulk of the action is set in 1994, as a family has bent some rules to get relocated from 2140.  The courier who helped them bend those rules is on the run from his employers, and we also spend some time with members of The Syndicate, who are chasing this agent who went against the rules.

I’m all for this one shot format as a way for the creators to take a break from the main narrative and build upon the mythology they are establishing.  This is a great start for these one shots with a story that’s exciting and heartbreaking all at the same time.  Regular series artist Joe Palmer is great on the main series, but it’s always a treat to see Shalvey’s noir sensibility in sequential art.

Highly recommended, as is the trade paperback to get you caught up in this world.

 

Nita Hawes’ Nightmare Blog #1 Review

Posted on by Alan Taylor

(W) Rodney Barnes (A) Jason Shawn Alexander & Patric Reynolds

Back when we chatted to Rodney Barnes, (Check out episode 117 in the podcast section of the website), he had mentioned that the world of Killadelphia was getting bigger.  If this was the kind of quality he was talking about for tie-in series, then we are in for a treat.

We have always talked about the quality of Killadelphia on the podcast, and although a reading of that series is preferable (and highly recommended), you could jump into this series cold and still be absorbed into this world.

Whereas Killadelphia focuses on Vampires, Nita Hawes Nightmare Blog focuses on ghosts and demons.  The titular character is Nita Hawes, a former lover of Jimmy Sangster and now a teacher in Baltimore (Rodney Barnes really does love The Wire…), and the most prominent spectre she sees is her little brother, Jason, who died tragically young.  He appears to her to warn her of an impending supernatural invasion.  Other story threads introduced include two detectives investigating gating a grisly murder, and a nurse at a rest home who fears one of her patients may be possessed.

This is everything a great first issue should be.

The writing by Barnes is tight and sharp, with enough time given to every individual story thread to make them matter and draw you in.  The art by Alexander and Reynolds is both haunting and emotive, with some great creature design.  And Luis NCT is on board as colourist, which is a great thing given the great work he does in Killadelphia.

For sure a title to watch, and an excellent companion piece to an already great main series.